The economic crisis will continue to having an impact on the marine traffics of Asia-Europe line


The opinion of inforMARE The first what sprung to mind some year ago to who, as we, it is accustomed to observe and to comment the behaviors of the operators of the field of the marine transport of line is that costoro they had mistaken the forecasts. The race to increase to the number of the ships and the ability to the fleets, in existence when already they were noticeable and obvious the signs of a decided tacking in negative of the market, was a hazard and such has been revealed. These orders to the ship yards are not only emitted shortly before the skirmishes of the crisis begun in 2008 and the immediately next months, but also when the storm was already totally triggered. All the main companies have continued to program the insertion in own new services portacontainer of large-capacity, not excluded Maersk Line that last year it has placed regulating for ships from 18.000 teu. Certainly, the crisis is more virulent than us it could be attended and, in the balance between pessimism and optimism, many they are still uncertain towards which it lowers will turn this section of the shipping. The same Gijsbrechts on one side asserts that the problem is not that of the question and from the other it allegates that the difficulty consists in filling up the ships. Is the guilt of the crisis or the shipowners that have not foreseen it? Of a thing but it is sure Gijsbrechts, and on this we agree: that during the last few years the operators of the field have behaved in anything but skillful and noticed way. B.B.
The opinion of

The first what sprung to mind some year ago to who, as we, it is accustomed to observe and to comment the behaviors of the operators of the field of the marine transport of line is that costoro they had mistaken the forecasts. The race to increase to the number of the ships and the ability to the fleets, in existence when already they were noticeable and obvious the signs of a decided tacking in negative of the market, was a hazard and such has been revealed.

These orders to the ship yards are not only emitted shortly before the skirmishes of the crisis begun in 2008 and the immediately next months, but also when the storm was already totally triggered. All the main companies have continued to program the insertion in own new services portacontainer of large-capacity, not excluded Maersk Line that last year it has placed regulating for ships from 18.000 teu.

Certainly, the crisis is more virulent than us it could be attended and, in the balance between pessimism and optimism, many they are still uncertain towards which it lowers will turn this section of the shipping. The same Gijsbrechts on one side asserts that the problem is not that of the question and from the other it allegates that the difficulty consists in filling up the ships. Is the guilt of the crisis or the shipowners that have not foreseen it? Of a thing but it is sure Gijsbrechts, and on this we agree: that during the last few years the operators of the field have behaved in anything but skillful and noticed way.

B.B.
It cannot be lacked to an encounter in which making the point on the industry of the marine transport of line and on its perspectives it is Maersk Line, the first operator of the field with a fleet of portacontainer that it has an ability to beyond 2,5 million teu, pairs more of 15% of the world-wide total. Today to Genoa, in fact, the Room of the Captain of Saint George Palace, center of the Harbour Authority, was overcrowded of participants, between customers of the Danish company and representatives of the institutions and the operators, invited to the "1^st executive organized workshop about shipping scenarios" from Maersk Line which occasion of I confront on the future of the section.

The field strongly is hit by the impact of the economic recession that has been pulled down on many world-wide markets and in particular on Europe. To suffer more - they have confirmed Graham Slack, chief economist of A.P. Møller-Mærsk, group to which is under responsibility Maersk Line, and Claudio Ferrari, university professor of Economy of the transports to the University of Genoa - the lines have been own that serve Europe and particularly the southern part of the continent. The consequence - it has found Ferrari - has been for example a real collapse of the number of the services of line that connect Asia with the Mediterranean, come down from the 32 of the fourth trimester of 2008 to the 18 of the third trimester of this year.

The scene for Europe still appears dark: in the best one of the cases - Slack has explained - the next year in Europe not will be increase. The operators of the field, moreover, navigate at sight: to formulate forecasts - the A.P representative has confirmed. Møller-Mærsk - it is more and more difficult: dynamics of development of the economy is extremely unstable and the perspectives change with extreme rapidity.

Claudio Ferrari has evidenced as the industry of the marine transport of line has succeeded in to face the crisis in the worse one of the conditions: the consisting orders to the issued ship yards during the last few years have produced at the moment of the crisis and the consequent decrease of the question an important excess of the offered ability, not compensated from the fleet quota mail in disarmament or demolition.

Between the measures in order to reduce the costs, as the slow steaming, that is the reduction of the speed of the ships in order to diminish the fuel consumption, is also - it has observed Ferrari - a resumption of the phenomenon of the concentration, evidenced among other things multiplying itself of the forms of cooperation between the navigation companies. This - it has found the university professor - does not happen instead on the front of the ports, in particular in Italy, where the concentration of the ports of call - it has specified referring to the debate on the reduction of the number of the Harbour Authorities - does not seem to be programmed or promoted from the bill of review of the harbour norm to the examination of the Parliament.

The general secretary of the Harbour Authority of Genoa, Giambattista D' Aste, has remembered the difficulty that the harbour institutions have in answering to the requirements of the shipowning societies and to the demand for the market. Difficulty that, according to the president of the genoese harbour agency, Luigi Merlo, that he is also president of the Association of the Italian Ports (Assoporti), can and it must be old adopting a new model of harbour order in Italy, than is not that - it has specified - which prefigured from the reform law. Merlon has denounced as the argument in existence is "very provincial": "it is not thinking to save Manfredonia and Trapani - it has explained alluding to the confirmation of the two ports of call which centers of Harbour Authorities - than saves the Italian portualità". According to Merlon, they are indispensable "more radical participations".

Returning to the point of view of the shipowners, the managing director of Maersk Line for the area of the Mediterranean has not encamped excuses, Marc Gijsbrechts. The problem - it has admitted - is not the question, but that of the offer. Also Gijsbrechts has rimarcato the excess of ability to the fleet put in field from the industry with the construction of portacontainer more and more large with the objective reducing the cost for single slot. The problem - it has recognized - is that it must fill up these ships. Gijsbrechts has listed some factors that sharpen the difficulties of an industry that - it has stated ironically - is in order much which deemed time "smart": the hires - he has explained - are still far from a level that affords to program an increase, while the inflation does not arrest its race and the cost of the fuel endures breathtaking rises. Moreover - it has continued - the industry too much is fragmented: behind of the three leaders of the section - Maersk Line, MSC and CMA CGM - a series of companies figures that anticipate an ability pairs to the 2-3% of the market.